Transfer Portal w IU Interest

[Mopladysman 1,450]

40 minutes ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

Rabby is a bit out of touch on this one it seems.  

Why

[sirhoosierlot 3,859]

30 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Personally, I don't know what takes the NCAA so long to rule on these cases. It's not like there is any secret evidence that we don't know about.

If we knew about it, it wouldn’t be secret evidence 

[Ctf9 492]

All this pro-Leal propaganda makes me think I was wrong to delete my cranky post.

The wisest posters here said to trust DeVries even when the portal got off to a slow start (according to Dolson’s own expectations). So I’m going to trust DeVries about the Leal situation, too, which may not even be a situation.

But I will say again that a part of fan psychology I just don’t understand is endless anger at ex-coaches and endless sympathy for ex-players. If you dislike Woody, and I very much do, I don’t understand bending over backward to defend Leal. They were both part of several bad and weak teams! Leal was an adult who had a role in this mess. Now he’s an invaluable leader and glue guy? 

As @Home Jersey notes, defensive metrics are not always useful—even more true in sample sizes as small as Leal’s. I always thought he would make some good team defense plays (but often undermine them by then making a silly play with the ball). But he did not look like a great defender to me. And mostly because he can’t keep players in front of him, which is a bigger problem without a rim protector. 

It is absolutely wild to me that anyone would want Leal over literally any big, even one who won’t play this year but might play in two years. We all watched the same games, right? 

[AKHoosier 7,743]

Hard pass on Leal. 

He's the type of player who I should root for, but yet I still can't stand him. We all know why so I won't bother rehashing Senior Night 2024.

And I am sure he is a great kid. Loves IU as much as everyone else on this board. I wish him nothing but success in life, glad he was able to get life changing money as an undergrad.

But he has officially maxed out what he can offer IU basketball. 

[Scotty R 3,765]

19 minutes ago, Ctf9 said:

All this pro-Leal propaganda makes me think I was wrong to delete my cranky post.

The wisest posters here said to trust DeVries even when the portal got off to a slow start (according to Dolson’s own expectations). So I’m going to trust DeVries about the Leal situation, too, which may not even be a situation.

But I will say again that a part of fan psychology I just don’t understand is endless anger at ex-coaches and endless sympathy for ex-players. If you dislike Woody, and I very much do, I don’t understand bending over backward to defend Leal. They were both part of several bad and weak teams! Leal was an adult who had a role in this mess. Now he’s an invaluable leader and glue guy? 

As @Home Jersey notes, defensive metrics are not always useful—even more true in sample sizes as small as Leal’s. I always thought he would make some good team defense plays (but often undermine them by then making a silly play with the ball). But he did not look like a great defender to me. And mostly because he can’t keep players in front of him, which is a bigger problem without a rim protector. 

It is absolutely wild to me that anyone would want Leal over literally any big, even one who won’t play this year but might play in two years. We all watched the same games, right? 

How I see is that people's hatred towards Woodson clouds their judgement towards anything to do with those teams. They will hate anybody associated with those teams even when it is warranted like they are doing with Leal and Goode. Both of them are Indiana kids who dreamed of playing for IU and didn't just come here for money. I thought that is what we want from players that play here.

[Mopladysman 1,450]

3 minutes ago, Scotty R said:

How I see is that people's hatred towards Woodson clouds their judgement towards anything to do with those teams. They will hate anybody associated with those teams even when it is warranted like they are doing with Leal and Goode. Both of them are Indiana kids who dreamed of playing for IU and didn't just come here for money. I thought that is what we want from players that play here.

Maybe since they understand Indiana so well they should have understood what Indiana players should not to say to Indiana fans. 

[Ctf9 492]

4 minutes ago, Scotty R said:

How I see is that people's hatred towards Woodson clouds their judgement towards anything to do with those teams.

There’s probably some of that. I like Indiana players staying home, for sure. But isn’t it just as possible that people’s love of Hoosier players and history clouds their judgment too? About Leal as a defender or Cody Zeller as the best choice for GM?

[Scotty R 3,765]

3 minutes ago, Ctf9 said:

There’s probably some of that. I like Indiana players staying home, for sure. But isn’t it just as possible that people’s love of Hoosier players and history clouds their judgment too? About Leal as a defender or Cody Zeller as the best choice for GM?

I don't think Zeller was actually hired. I don't really worry about the players who will be at the bottom of the roster. I don't mind having experience players at the end of the bench and can come in and contribute when needed 

[Scotty R 3,765]

7 minutes ago, Mopladysman said:

Maybe since they understand Indiana so well they should have understood what Indiana players should not to say to Indiana fans. 

Well I know I would get a little frustrated with fans ripping you and your team all the time. They shouldn't have said it but to me it is no big deal 

[Ctf9 492]

4 minutes ago, Scotty R said:

I don't think Zeller was actually hired. I don't really worry about the players who will be at the bottom of the roster. I don't mind having experience players at the end of the bench and can come in and contribute when needed 

Fair enough. You’re right that this won’t be a big deal either way. I’m trying to trust DeVries more since I did not do the best job staying calm early in the portal lol. 

[Hoosier987 2,824]

48 minutes ago, Ctf9 said:

All this pro-Leal propaganda makes me think I was wrong to delete my cranky post.

The wisest posters here said to trust DeVries even when the portal got off to a slow start (according to Dolson’s own expectations). So I’m going to trust DeVries about the Leal situation, too, which may not even be a situation.

But I will say again that a part of fan psychology I just don’t understand is endless anger at ex-coaches and endless sympathy for ex-players. If you dislike Woody, and I very much do, I don’t understand bending over backward to defend Leal. They were both part of several bad and weak teams! Leal was an adult who had a role in this mess. Now he’s an invaluable leader and glue guy? 

As @Home Jersey notes, defensive metrics are not always useful—even more true in sample sizes as small as Leal’s. I always thought he would make some good team defense plays (but often undermine them by then making a silly play with the ball). But he did not look like a great defender to me. And mostly because he can’t keep players in front of him, which is a bigger problem without a rim protector. 

It is absolutely wild to me that anyone would want Leal over literally any big, even one who won’t play this year but might play in two years. We all watched the same games, right? 

Agreed. Leal has been here for half a decade already... even dating all the way back to Archie. It’s time to give someone else a run. He’s had his run at IU, been treated very well — including making at this point hundreds of thousands if not millions from NIL…with frankly little return imo…there are numerous and significant better options to have than Leal - of which his guard position is already more than accounted for on this team with more talented players in the fold than before.
 

[Mopladysman 1,450]

17 minutes ago, Scotty R said:

Well I know I would get a little frustrated with fans ripping you and your team all the time. They shouldn't have said it but to me it is no big deal 

He’s a big boy, he was getting paid.  When you lose you get ripped.  Senior speeches are for thanking people.  Not difficult.  I don’t hate him or wish him bad I just don’t want to watch him play on Iu anymore.  

[steubenhoosier 1,889]

To me, the value Leal brings has much less to do with his on court skills, and much more to do with the knowledge he has.

There is no one else on this roster who understands playing in the B1G. Save KJ, and it was several years ago, no one on the staff either. No one understands the style of play of each opponent, nor coaching tendencies. No one has experienced the way B1G games are reffed. Leal can bring that knowledge to the locker room and to coach’s meetings.

Yes, he could also do this as a grad assistant, but adding him to the roster, assuming we can’t get someone who fills the rim protection needs, give us the flexibility to play him should the injury or foul bug hit the team.

The intangibles Leal brings cannot be measured by any statistical analysis. Value comes in different ways.

[Home Jersey 16,308]

17 minutes ago, steubenhoosier said:

To me, the value Leal brings has much less to do with his on court skills, and much more to do with the knowledge he has.

There is no one else on this roster who understands playing in the B1G. Save KJ, and it was several years ago, no one on the staff either. No one understands the style of play of each opponent, nor coaching tendencies. No one has experienced the way B1G games are reffed. Leal can bring that knowledge to the locker room and to coach’s meetings.

Yes, he could also do this as a grad assistant, but adding him to the roster, assuming we can’t get someone who fills the rim protection needs, give us the flexibility to play him should the injury or foul bug hit the team.

The intangibles Leal brings cannot be measured by any statistical analysis. Value comes in different ways.

Sure but if you add Goode then you’ve got everything Leal brings off the court already. 

[AH1971 3,307]

17 hours ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

The victim mentality consists of things like losing at home by 25 points and then using your postgame press conference to dump on the fanbase a la Luke Goode.

And lol, did you live through the past two years? Woodson driving a wedge was obvious in multiple facets. The Twitter burner accounts, giving players NIL bumps to hate on the fans during senior night speeches, Woodson’s actions. It was very transparent.  

Anthony Leal neither plays a position of need nor is good enough to warrant bringing that mentality back into a brand new locker room. Leave the Woodson era and the Woodson guys in the rearview. 

I hope he comes back just for this post alone.

[steubenhoosier 1,889]

19 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

Sure but if you add Goode then you’ve got everything Leal brings off the court already. 

Agree. I would take one or the other 

[Hoosierfan2017 25,031]

1 hour ago, Scotty R said:

How I see is that people's hatred towards Woodson clouds their judgement towards anything to do with those teams. They will hate anybody associated with those teams even when it is warranted like they are doing with Leal and Goode. Both of them are Indiana kids who dreamed of playing for IU and didn't just come here for money. I thought that is what we want from players that play here.

Sure, we want players who don’t just come to IU for the money. We also don’t want players who trash the fanbase in exchange for more money. When a guy starts out as the first and then becomes the second? Well that’s no longer a guy I want on the team. 

[BA47591 1,055]

What's the likelihood of this happening? 

[TheWatShot 15,523]

Blaming fans is a hallmark of a toxic program culture. Our program's culture has sucked for the better part of a decade and it desperately needs to change. That isn't happening with guys like Leal and Goode around. 

[BA47591 1,055]

Has DD encouraged them to pursue the waiver? For this to be a story he probably has, right? It's an explanation point to an "interesting " roster construction.